How To Prep For … Throwing In The Towel- Part 2, by DR in Tennessee

Yesterday, we began by asking many questions to determine just how prepared and ready you were for a situation when you or your spouse were unable to continue daily or regular responsibilities around the homestead. It is apparent that many preppers are aging and just can’t do the independent prepping and property maintenance and management they had envisioned and begun decades earlier. So, in part one of this article series, we discussed some of what it takes to prepare your property for sale. Today’s Reality That brings us to today’s reality. Plan now for a time when the Good Lord …




How To Prep For … Throwing In The Towel- Part 1, by DR in Tennessee

Certainly if you read this blog frequently, you know why and how we prepare. The archives of SurvivalBlog are an unmatched treasure trove of practical and technical survival wisdom. This article is designed to offer practical guidance of another kind. It’s intended to encourage mature individuals to imagine a different type of prepping. I want you to think long and hard about your realistic future as successful long-time preppers. I write this based on personal experience and with firsthand knowledge of the experiences of others who share my age and attitude about preparedness. Those of you who may be relatively …




The Measure of a Man, by J.H.

Not too terribly long ago, I was at work and came across a young man. (The word “young” is used as a relative term. I am 37, and this young gentleman was approximately 20.) I work for the U.S. Army on a military installation in CONUS, and this young soldier out of uniform happened into my work area to ask me a question. And the manner in which he asked me the question made my blood boil. It wasn’t that he was disrespectful or rude. By those standards he was completely polite. But he looked at my feet and muttered, …




The Blizzard of 2003, By 97B40

It was 2003 and we needed the moisture, so I was glad to learn that snow was in the weather forecast. Our part of the state got most of its precipitation in March and April, so I was optimistic. I should have been more precise about what I wished for. My wife had flown to Los Angles a couple of days before for business, and I looked forward to hiking or snowshoeing with our three dogs and relaxing. Our Colorado Rocky Mountain Blizzard Story On March 17th snow began falling in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. At 7,000 feet in the foothills, …




Applying the Wisdom of Sun Tzu to Prepping, by B.P.

Many regard Sun Tzu as the ultimate military strategist, at least in the way he described the more philosophical applications of combat strategy. Being more abstract in his direction than simply issuing commands like a common general, his focus was on developing a perspective rather than defining procedures. In this way, his wisdom and direction have remained contemporary and relevant, whereas battlefield applications come and go with advances in technology and expansion of the combat arena. In studying the lessons of Sun Tzu, we find that much of his advice on strategy not only lends itself to the field of …




A Collection of Thoughts on Survival, by Sven

There is a number of thoughts and observations I’ve had that seemed worth passing on to SurvivalBlog readers, but most of them weren’t long enough to merit full articles. Hopefully, everyone can find at least one thing here that they hadn’t considered yet. Wool Blankets Wool blankets are heavier than down or synthetic sleeping bags but are lifetimes more durable and fire resistant. You should have both wool blankets for when weight is not a concern and regular sleeping bags for fast, light trips. Knives– Serrated or Not Knives with serrations require special tools to sharpen. Consider using only knives …




Never Waste An Opportunity To Buy Good Stuff Inexpensively!, by Old Bobbert

When there is an opportunity, we don’t waste it. We preppers are very good at nearly everything we do, once we finally start down the road to project completion and timely success. The few things we do poorly are generally the foundation for our poor public image. Some of these are our poor selections, among the millions of printed pages concerning “being prepared” to live through a disaster. Our most glaring and dramatic procedural mistake is also the main reason non-preppers also fail at an alarmingly high percent of starts. Yes, we still have much in common with our non-prepper …




Time, Effort, and Attitude (TEA) and Keeping Focus, by E in the North Woods

I think a lot of us who are doing our best to prepare for a SHTF scenario usually had some moment when we popped our heads out of the sand and were pushed to that point. I look back on it, like I have heard others explain, as the red pill versus blue pill moment from The Matrix movie. Once you have your eyes opened and decide to take action in living a prepared lifestyle, it feels like you just got ripped from your comfy cocoon and are now standing at the base of a mountain looking up at all …




Into Bear Country- Part 2, by George Fox

In part 1 of this article series, I wrote about the likelihood of people encountering bear, the different types of bear, and began with an overview of how to detail with one in the event of an encounter. Today, we’ll go into more detail about preventing encounters and what to do if you have one. Setting Up “Triangle” Camp to Avoid Bears When you set up camp, there are procedures that should be followed to keep your food secure, to keep you safe, and to prevent bears from coming to the tent to look for snacks. I was taught to …




Into Bear Country- Part 1, by George Fox

As a result of moving into remote retreat areas, you may begin to have encounters with North America’s bear population. Even in suburban/urban areas, a lack of hunting and the return of forests has seen bears make a comeback, raising the likelihood of bear-human encounters. Even if you live somewhere with a low likelihood of bear encounters, you should know the proper actions and make preparations, because bears can turn up anywhere. Steps For Bear Camping I’m going to outline the steps for bear camping. Knowing this is helpful for keeping your homestead secure from bears, traveling in bear country, …




Letter: A Raspberry Pi Computer is Recommended Gear

Hugh, Consider setting aside one or more Raspberry Pi 3 computers. They run on 5v and have a complete operating system with compilers, web browser, word processor, spreadsheet, database, etc. Combine with references on USB drives and we are much more quickly on our way back to civilization. Note: The Raspberry Pi needs a USB keyboard, USB mouse and any screen that takes HDMI for human interface. You do not need a keyboard to run it as a server (web server, file server, communications device, etc.) Applications to connect to the server, control it and program it are available for …




Survivalism, Prepping, and OPSEC: An Alternative View, by Todd

The topic of OPSEC (operations security) comes up all the time on SurvivalBlog, and I wholeheartedly agree that it is an important topic for all of us. But I believe it is an important topic with potentially more than one right answer, depending on your particular situation and mindset. Standard OPSEC Based On Secrecy The standard answer to OPSEC on SurvivalBlog (and just about everywhere else) is based on secrecy and the general concept of keeping your preps, your location, your networks, and sometimes even your survivalist mentality all to yourself, or at the very least known to as few …




Start Now, While You Can, Because You Can, by Old Bobbert

These short published blog articles, these pieces of myself, of ourselves, concerning preparedness, survivalism, self awareness, and personal readiness are created to help the reader to start taking action and learn to fight ignorance and greed. From my side of these entries, I do not promote myself as an expert; I’m just another concerned guy who wants to help others and perhaps showcase my personal opinions. Not even a little of the real me has ever shown completely through these prepper pages, these pieces of our lives,. Prepper Achievement Judged Moving on, there’s a well justified question begging to be …




Don’t Be Prey, by L.H.

Nobody wants to be prey when things go wrong. I don’t have a cabin in the woods stocked with ammo and dried food with a well out back. I don’t have a pickup and trailer loaded with extra fuel waiting for the great escape. Where I Live I live in a city of a million. Here, we have street people living under bridges and dope shops on every other city block. (It’s legal here.) It’s also freezing cold in the Rockies and dry. All in all, it’s not the perfect place to weather TEOTWAWKI. But it’s what we have. The …




Letter: TEOTWAWKI Weekend Experience

Hi Hugh, Just did the TEOTWAWKI weekend prep. As a background, I live on an Army base. (And, yes, I have places to go in the Country as well.) The Schedule went like this: Morning prayers is how it started. It was just my Son and I. (My Wife is an atheist, so she doesn’t pray. She does get heard in our prayers.) We gave thanks to our Savior, the Lord, Jesus Christ. Activities: Morning PT or Physical Training. My son and I wrestled and boxed. I personally have very well respected credentials in this, for most. My son is …